Honorees Dr. James L. (Larry) Holly, M.D., (in red tie) and Carolyn Holly (with corsage) prepare to cut the ceremonial ribbon as family members and friends look on. Wayne A. Reaud, chairman and founder of the Beaumont Foundation of America, is in the blue tie and UT Health Science Center President William L. Henrich, M.D., MACP, is on the right.

SAN ANTONIO (Feb. 21, 2012) - The newly renovated auditorium at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio was officially designated the Dr. and Mrs. James L. Holly Auditorium at a Feb. 17 ceremony.

James L. (Larry) Holly, M.D., founding partner of Southeast Texas Medical Associates (SETMA) in Beaumont, is a 1973 alumnus of the School of Medicine at the Health Science Center. In 2011 a $250,000 gift from Dr. Holly, his wife, Carolyn, and SETMA established the Dr. and Mrs. James L. Holly Distinguished Professorship with a focus on interdisciplinary education and practice-model development.

Dr. Holly also served as president of the School of Medicine Alumni Association from 2006 to 2010. The Alumni Association represents more than 5,000 alumni of the M.D., residency and fellowship programs who are practicing medicine throughout the world.

$1 million gift honors Dr. and Mrs. Holly
Dr. Holly’s expertise, care and devotion for patients are legendary. His exemplary medical career inspired Wayne A. Reaud, chairman and founder of the Beaumont Foundation of America, to give $1 million to update the Health Science Center auditorium in honor of Dr. and Mrs. Holly. This generous support, matched by $2.1 million in institutional funding, made it possible to make many improvements, including audiovisual and electronic updates, upgraded lighting, and upgrades in all fire and safety code requirements.

"I cannot thank Mr. Reaud enough for his generosity," said William L. Henrich, M.D., MACP, president of the Health Science Center. "And, I share his view that there is no couple more deserving than Larry and Carolyn Holly of the recognition of having their names honored in perpetuity on our auditorium for their contributions to medicine and to our university."

President William L. Henrich, M.D., MACP, shares a light moment with James L. (Larry) Holly, M.D., in the renovated auditorium. Dr. Holly is a 1973 alumnus of the School of Medicine and served as president of the school’s alumni association from 2006 to 2010.

Dr. Henrich said the honor is one of the most meaningful events in Dr. Holly’s professional life. "His love for his alma mater is profound, and Dr. Holly has served as a visionary and benevolent leader, contributing his own treasure to support the school in many areas."

Holly Auditorium renovations
The 751-seat auditorium, which now has a center aisle, is the traditional site for the School of Medicine’s White Coat Ceremony where entering students receive the white coat of medicine and recite the Hippocratic Oath. The auditorium has hosted a wide range of events, including medical humanities and ethics lectures by best-selling authors and medical leaders, visits by renowned surgeons such as Dr. Denton Cooley, performances of the San Antonio Symphony, and speeches by several winners of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, one of the country’s leading health sciences universities, ranks in the top 3 percent of all institutions worldwide receiving federal funding. Research and other sponsored program activity totaled $231 million in fiscal year 2011. The university’s schools of medicine, nursing, dentistry, health professions and graduate biomedical sciences have produced approximately 26,000 graduates. The $744 million operating budget supports eight campuses in San Antonio, Laredo, Harlingen and Edinburg. For more information on the many ways “We make lives betterÂ®,” visit www.uthscsa.edu.